Sheet retainer for magazine feed



May 12, 1942. w. HOPPE v SHEET RETAINER FOR MAGAZINE FEED Filed Aprilv 28, 1941 INVENTOR MLZ/AM [Yap/ BYW ATTQRN EYS Patented May 12, 1942 *1 D me] SHEET RETAINER FOR MAGAZINE FEED William Hoppe, Longmeadow, Mass, assignor to National Bread Wrapping Machine 00., Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 28, 1941, Serial No. 890,637

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a sheet retainer for use with magazine feeds in which separate sheets are fed individually from the bottom of a stack into a labeling or wrapping machine.

One method of individually feeding sheets so stacked is to slide the lowermost sheet by' friction laterally from the bottom of the pack while restraining the rest of the pack in the magazine as by a needle point which extends upwardly through the bottom of the stack near the back edge thereof. This arrangement has as one objectionable feature that the bottom sheet is torn by the needle as the sheet is pulled from the bottom of the pack.

The main object of this invention is to provide improved means for restraining the stack of sheets so that when the bottom sheet is removed from the pack it will not be torn. How I accomplish this object as well as further additional objects will be apparent from a reading of the specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of magazine provided with my improved restraining means and including a sufiicient portion of the mechanism for feeding the sheets to make the operation clear;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the magazine consists generally of vertically extending side members ID and I I and spaced bottom members l4 and I5, preferably corrugated to reduce friction. The side members may preferably be formed of angle irons as indicated, to provide back members I! and I8. The side members and II as well as the bottom members may conveniently be attached to the frame of the machine (not shown) to which the sheets are to be fed.

A pack of sheets is shown supported in the magazine by members l0, II, l4, l5, l1 and I8, with the bottom sheet adjacent sheet feeding mechanism indicated generally by 2| and consisting of a rotatable shaft .22 carrying fixed thereto a segment 23. The segment, which is preferably of rubber or similar material, is arranged to frictionally engage the bottom sheet of the pack 20 and move it laterally from the bottom of the pack (see Fig. 3) when the shaft 22 is rotated. Shaft 22 is driven from the main machine in suitable timed relation.

To restrain the rest of the pack while permitting the bottom sheet of the pack to be pulled off, the following improved mechanism is provided. Each side-member l0, H has cut therein a slot 28 extending upwardly from the bottom edge of the member. This'slot is, as shown, preferably located quite closely adjacent the respective back members [1, I8. Attached to each side member as by screws 30 is a bearing bloc k 3i having' its forward'edge 32 lying parallel to the long side edges ofslot 28 and located slightly to one side of the center line of the slot. A preferably relatively thin knife edge 33 is secured to each bearing block 3! as by screws 35 and has its sharpened edge 36 extending inwardly through the slot 28. One convenient form of knife edge member is a razor blade. As shown in the drawing, each of the 'knife edge members is preferably mounted at an angle on block 3| so that the make slight cuts in the edges of the sheets as I the sheets descend towards the bottom of the magazine, thus serving to restrain the pack against lateral movement along side members It].

and I I. Due to the angular arrangement of the blades, the lowest sheets in the pack are held most firmly; Then, when shaft 22 is turned and the segment 23 engages the bottom sheet, it is slid out from under the rest of the pack since'the friction between it and the next sheet is not sufficient to pull the latter free of the blades. How- 7 ever it will be found that the bottom sheet is not tom during this operation even though its edge is in engagement with the knife edge when the Y To further assure that the sheet will not be tom, the slots 28 may, as shown, be made somewhat wider than necessary to permit the knife edges to flex laterally in the direction of lateral motion of the bottom-most sheet as that sheet 1 is withdrawn, the bottom portion of the pack moving slightly laterally and then returning to its original position during this flexing. .It is not necessary to make the blades 33 of this degree of flexibility, but the construction apparently has some advantages. 7 I

adjacent an edge remote from the sheet engaging edge and permitting slight lateral flexing of the knife edges during lateral withdrawal of the 1. In a magazine feeding mechanism for feeding paper sheets to a machine, a magazine for supporting sheets in stacked, superposed relation, feeding means located adjacent the magazine in position to engage frictionally the bottom-most sheet in the stack and move it laterally, and knife edges associated with the magazine and extending lengthwise of the pack from the bottom of the magazine on opposite sides thereof, said knife edges each engaging cuts in opposite lateral edges of the sheets.

2. In a magazine feeding mechanism for feeding paper sheets to a machine, a magazine for supporting sheets in stacked, superposed relation,

feeding means driven in timed relation to the machine and located adjacent the magazine in bottom-most sheet of the stack by the feeding means.

3. In a magazine feeding mechanism for feeding paper sheets to a machine and including a pack of sheets, a magazine to hold a pack of sheets in superposed relation and means for engaging and withdrawing the last sheet in the stack laterally; knife edges associated with the magazine and extending lengthwise of the pack on opposite sides thereof in converging relation towards the end of the magazine next to the feeding means and engaging lateral opposite edges of the sheets to form cuts therein and to hold all but the bottom sheet against lateral movement upon actuation of the sheet withdrawing means.

WILLIAM HOPPE. 

